Two construction companies in Garissa came under attack Sunday night from suspected Al-Shabaab terrorists were repulsed by Kenyan soldiers.
According to authorities, the attack on the two Chinese construction firms occurred at about 9pm.
According to Garissa County Police Commander Richard Kerina, who visited the scene, swift response by the police acting on tip-offs helped save lives.
Terrified locals, who spoke to the press on condition of anonymity, said the hooded militants, all armed with AK-47 rifles, kidnapped a man from a nearby village and ordered him to take them to the site.
Sources also intimated to Citizen Digital that one of the villagers tipped off security officers guarding the site who lay in wait for the attackers.
As they approached the camp, the gangsters started shooting indiscriminately, prompting the security officers to return fire and subdue the attack.
According to Mr. Kerina, in about 15 minutes, the officers were able to repulse the attack and the militants fled to a nearby thicket.
During the shootout, the wife of one of the security guards manning the gate was shot from behind and a bullet is said to be lodged in her shoulder. She was rushed to the Garissa County Referral Hospital where she is recuperating after receiving treatment.
Three other people were injured while running for their lives during the shootout between the attackers and the police.
The police boss added that they are in pursuit of the militants who are said to have escaped on foot towards Dadaab area.
“Traces of blood as they escaped on foot indicate that quite a number of them sustained serious bullet injuries. There is top notch coordination from officers in and around the area up to the border area and with the help of wananchi, we shall ensure that these criminals are arrested and brought to book,” he said.
In 2104 , militants from the Somalia-based al-Shabaab terror group killed 36 mainly Christian quarry workers.
Witnesses said the attackers surrounded the camp in a remote district near the Somali border shortly after midnight , roused the sleeping workers and ordered those who could not prove they were Muslims to lie on the ground before spraying them with bullets.
It was the second such massacre of that time after the 22 November attack when the same militants stopped passengers on a Nairobi-bound bus and killed the 28 Kenyans who could not recite the Muslim statement of faith known as the Shahada.
The killings occurred in Koromey in Mandera County, about nine miles from the border with Somalia. The area is predominantly settled by Kenyan Somalis who are mainly Muslims.